Rise Of Empire (109 page)

T
HRANIC,
D
OVIN:
 See Dovin Thranic

T
IGER OF
M
ANDALIN:
 Moniker given to Hadrian while in Calis

T
ILINER:
 Superior side sword used frequently by mercenaries in Avryn

T
OLIN
E
SSENDON:
 Son of Brodric, moved the Melengar capital to Medford, built Essendon Castle, also known as Tolin the Great

T
OPMEN:
 Members of a ship’s crew that work high up in the rigging and sails

T
ORSONIC:
 Torque-producing, as in the cable used in crossbows

T
RAMUS
D
AN:
 Guardian of Naron

T
RENCHON:
 City bailiff of Ratibor

T
RENT:
 Northern mountainous kingdoms not yet controlled by the New Empire

T
RILON:
 Small, fast bow used by Ghazel

T
RUMBUL,
B
ARON:
 Mercenary, hired by Percy Braga to kill Prince Alric

T
ULAN:
 Tropical plant found in southeastern Calis, used in religious ceremonies, leaves are dried and burned as offerings to the god Uberlin, smoke of the leaves produce visions when inhaled

T
UR:
 Small legendary village believed to have once been in Delgos, site of the first recorded visit of Kile, mythical source of great weapons

T
UR
D
EL
F
UR:
 Coastal city in Delgos, on Terlando Bay, originally built by dwarves

U
BERLIN:
 The god of the Dacca and the Ghazel, son of Erebus and his daughter, Muriel

U
LI
V
ERMAR:
 Obscure reference used by Esrahaddon

U
RITH:
 Former king of Ratibor, died in a fire

U
RLINEUS:
 Last of the Novronian Empire cities to fall, located in eastern Calis, constantly attacked by Ghazel. After collapse it became the gateway for the Ghazel into Calis.

U
ZLA
B
AR:
 Ghazel chieftain, challenging Erandabon Gile for control of Ghazel

V
ALIN,
L
ORD:
 Elderly knight of Melengar known for his valor and courage but lacking strategic skills

V
ANDON:
 Port city of Delgos, home to the Vandon Spice Company, pirate haven, grew into a legitimate business center when Delgos became a republic

V
ELLA:
 Kitchen servant in the imperial palace

V
ENDEN
P
OX:
 Poison impervious to magic remedies

V
ENLIN:
 Patriarch of the Nyphron Church during the fall of the Novronian Empire

V
ERNES:
 Port city at the mouth of the Bernum River

V
IGAN:
 Sherriff of Ratibor

V
ILLEIN:
 Person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord

V
INCE
E
VERTON:
 Alias used by Royce Melborn while in Hintindar

V
INTU:
 Native tribe of Calis

W
ANDERING
D
EACON OF
D
AHLGREN:
 Name that refers to Deacon Tomas

W
ARRIC:
 Kingdom of Avryn, once ruled by Ethelred, now part of the New Empire

W
ATCH
O
FFICER:
 Officer of the watch, in charge during a particular shift, responsible for everything that transpires during this time

W
ESBADEN:
 Major trade port city of Calis

W
ESLEY:
 Son of Lord Belstrad, brother of Sir Breckton, junior midshipman on the
Emerald Storm

W
ESTBANK:
 Newly formed province of Dunmore

W
ESTERLANDS:
 Unknown frontier to the west

W
HERRY:
 Light rowboat, used for racing or transporting goods and passengers on inland waters and harbors

W
ICEND:
 \why-send\ Farmer in Melengar, name of the ford that crosses the Galewyr into Glouston

W
IDLEY:
 Professor at Sheridan University, tried and burned for heresy

W
ILFRED:
 Carter in Hintindar

W
INDS
A
BBEY:
 Monastery of the Monks of Maribor, rebuilt by Myron Lanaklin after being burned

W
INSLOW,
A
LBERT:
 See Albert Winslow

W
INTERTIDE:
 Chief holiday, held in midwinter, celebrated by feasts and games of skill

W
ITCH OF
M
ELENGAR:
 Derogatory title attributed to Princess Arista

W
YATT
D
EMINTHAL:
 Quartermaster and helmsman of the
Emerald Storm
, father of Allie

W
YLIN:
 \why-lynn\ Master-at-arms at Essendon Castle

W
YMAR,
M
ARQUIS:
 Nobleman of Melengar, member of Alric’s council

Y
OLRIC:
 Teacher of Esrahaddon

Z
ULRON:
Deformed oberdaza of Oudorro

www.orbitbooks.net

After finding a manual typewriter in the basement of a friend’s house,
Michael J. Sullivan
inserted a blank piece of paper and typed
It was a dark and stormy night, and a shot rang out.
He was just eight. Still, the desire to fill the blank page and see where the keys would take him next wouldn’t let go. As an adult, Michael spent ten years developing his craft by reading and studying authors such as Stephen King, Ayn Rand, and John Steinbeck, to name just a few. He wrote ten novels, and after finding no traction in publishing, he quit, vowing never to write creatively again.

Michael discovered forever is a very long time and ended his writing hiatus ten years later. The itch returned when he decided to write books for his then thirteen-year-old daughter, who was struggling in school because of dyslexia. Intrigued by the idea of a series with an overarching story line, yet told through individual, self-contained episodes, he created the Riyria Revelations. He wrote the series with no intention of publishing it. After presenting his book in manuscript form to his daughter, she declared that it had to be a “real book,” in order for her to be able to read it.

So began his second adventure on the road to publication, which included drafting his wife to be his business manager, signing with a small independent press, and creating a publishing
company. He sold more than sixty thousand books as a self-published author and leveraged this success to achieve mainstream publication through Orbit (the fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group) as well as foreign translation rights including French, Spanish, Russian, German, Polish, and Czech.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael presently lives in Fair-fax, Virginia, with his wife and three children. He continues to fill the blank pages with three projects under development: a modern fantasy, which explores the relationship between good and evil; a literary fiction piece, profiling a man’s descent into madness; and a medieval fantasy, which will be prequel to his best-selling Riyria Revelations series.

Find out more about Michael J. Sullivan and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newsletter at
www.orbitbooks.net

if you enjoyed

RISE OF EMPIRE

look out for

HEIR OF NOVRON

volume three of the Riyria Revelations

also by

Michael J. Sullivan

Some people are skilled, and some are lucky, but at that moment Mince realized he was neither. Failing to cut the merchant’s purse strings, he froze with one hand still cupping the bag. He knew the pickpocket’s creed allowed for only a single touch, and he had dutifully slipped into the crowd after two earlier attempts. A third failure meant they would bar him
from another meal. Mince was too hungry to let go.

With his hands still under the merchant’s cloak, he waited. The man remained oblivious.

Should I try again?

The thought was insane, but his empty stomach won the battle over reason. In a moment of desperation, Mince pushed caution aside. The leather seemed oddly thick. Sawing back and forth, he felt the purse come loose, but something was not right. It took only an instant for Mince to realize his mistake. Instead of purse strings, he had sliced through the merchant’s belt. Like a hissing snake, the leather strap slithered off the fat man’s belly, dragged to the cobblestones by the weight of his weapons.

Mince did not breathe or move as the entire span of his ten disappointing years flashed by.

Run!
the voice inside his head screamed as he realized there was a heartbeat, perhaps two, before his victim—

The merchant turned.

He was a large, soft man with saddlebag cheeks reddened by the cold. His eyes widened when he noticed the purse in Mince’s hand. “Hey, you!” The man reached for his dagger, and surprise filled his face when he found it missing. Groping for his other weapon, he spotted them both lying in the street.

Mince heeded the voice of his smarter self and bolted. Common sense told him the best way to escape a rampaging giant was to head for the smallest crack. He plunged beneath an ale cart outside The Blue Swan Inn and slid to the far side. Scrambling to his feet, he raced for the alley, clutching the knife and purse to his chest. The recent snow hampered his flight, and his small feet lost traction rounding a corner.